School Violence

School Violence

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There are many factors for the occurrence of school violence. The two most common factors are substance abuse, association with gangs, and guns. School laws try to prevent these factors from endangering the youths in the schools. Many school officials and citizens are convinced that the growing problems of student disruption and general lack of respect for authorities are attributable directly to an over emphasis on students’ rights. The increase in violence, drugs, and weapons in schools has directed our attention to the need to talk all reasonable steps to ensure a safe learning environment for students and teachers. Some citizens and teacher blame this on public schooling. There are many organizations that try to help end school violence such as SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere). Other countries such as Germany and Canada have witnessed school violence in their community. I believe that this is not only a United States problem, but also a global problem that quickly needs to be resolved.
Guns are flooding our school system and the statistics are staggering. More American youths have been killed by guns in the last thirteen year than were killed during the entire Vietnam War. “Every year since 1950, the number of American children killed by guns doubled every two days, the equivalent of an entire classroom of kids (twenty-five) are killed by guns. Every three hours, someone between the ages of ten and nineteen is killed with a gun.”(Day, 1996, pg. 33)

Gangs have also played a large role in school violence. A gang is a group of people, usually of the same ethnic group and from the same neighborhood. Even though many people think of black teenagers when they think of gangs, there are white, Asian, Hispanic, and even Samoan gangs. “For some young people, gangs provide the only emotional and physical security they have ever known such as providing respect, power, family and security.”(Day, 1996, pg. 40). Unfortunately, gang membership can also be dangerous. Gangs continue to be a major problem in schools. Experts say there is no simple solution, but by working together, parents, community leaders, police officers, school officials, and teachers make a difference.

Substance abuse is another reason there is violence in the schools. “In a survey of students in grades nine through twelve, nearly one-fourth of the students had been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property”(Day, 1996, pg.

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- Abstract School violence remains a serious American problem, especially in America’s inner-cities. Mainstream strategies to reduce school violence have focused on combinations of upgrading school security postures (more guards, metal detectors, etc.) and in improving student intervention programs (peer counseling, conflict resolution, etc.). This paper investigates another aspect of school violence—school cultures of violence—that few schools recognize as a serious problem and that mainstream strategies fail to address.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

- On April 20, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on Columbine Highschool killing twelve fellow classmates and one teacher. School violence changes our youths morals. From bullying to peer pressure, youth are exposed to school violence everyday. What is school violence. School violence varies from accounts of “death, homicide, suicide, weapon related violence, in the US.” (c1) School violence can occur to and from school, while attending a school sponsored event, on a bus, or at an activity.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

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- There are many factors for the occurrence of school violence. The two most common factors are substance abuse, association with gangs, and guns. School laws try to prevent these factors from endangering the youths in the schools. Many school officials and citizens are convinced that the growing problems of student disruption and general lack of respect for authorities are attributable directly to an over emphasis on students’ rights. The increase in violence, drugs, and weapons in schools has directed our attention to the need to talk all reasonable steps to ensure a safe learning environment for students and teachers.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

- &#65279;Violence is a significant problem in schools today. Whether it deals with guns, knives, or just a little fight, school violence is more common than ever before. Schools have always been one of the safest places in a child’s life, but are we sure that this is true anymore. The threat of attacks in schools create fear and disorder in students and teachers. Every year, three million students in the United States fall victim to crimes at school and almost two million of these incidents involve violence.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

- Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General. Chapter 4-Risk Factors for Youth Violence. 2000. ww.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence/report.html This Web site explains that risk factors for violence are not static. Their predictive value changes depending on when they occur in a young person's development, in what social context, and under what circumstances. Risk factors may be found in the individual, the environment, or the individual's ability to respond to the demands or requirements of the environment.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

- Social withdrawl, severe feeling of isolation, being bullied, uncontrolled anger. These are all warning signs of violence starting in schools. (Charlene Alexander) The United States is facing an outbreak of seriously violent crimes in middle schools and high schools across the country. (Mechthid Schaefer) Violence in schools really affects students learning and their learning habits. If a student is being picked on or bullied, that causes them to feel socially withdrawn. In turn, this leads to the student not wanting to be in school or not being able to concentrate on what matters the most, their future.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

- Violence in our schools is an issue that has become more prominent in the last few years. News articles about violent deeds within the school setting are on the increase. Our society demands that schools are safe for our children. In order to maintain a peaceful environment for all, we must address and inform our schools, children, and parents as well as the neighboring communities about the issue of school violence. As David W. Johnson, the author of Reducing School Violence states, “To eliminate violence and resolve destructive conflicts, schools must first admit that such conflicts are out of control.” (Johnson 7) Schools in general must identify with these issues in order to deal with th... [tags: School Violence Essays]

- Parents send their kids off to school everyday hoping that their children will make it home. The school system today is not what it was like fifty years ago, teachers would disaplin students for talking too much or chewing gum, but today teachers have to wonder if they are going to get shot for giving a kid a bad grade. Now that might be a little exaerated but the safety of everyone in a school is not as comforting as it once was. The trend of school violence began a few years ago and then rapidly increased in almost in a copycat pattern.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

- Violence in schools has progressed from bloody noses to bloody gun shot wounds. Kids now days observe so much violence its almost predictable that they act this way. People are SO desensitized to violence from TV, video games, videos. Kids tend to imitate what they see exposing them to violence before they can understand it doesn’t help them. With the moral decay of our society, people act without regard for others, kids having babies, fatherless families, unsupervised and unwanted children don’t always get the necessary attention they need to function acceptably in our society.... [tags: School Violence Essays]

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27). Crime raters are higher at school alcohol and illegal drugs are easily obtained.
“School violence is usually blamed on public schooling”(Lawrence, 1998, pg. 138). Educational experts, on the other hand, have emphasized the many problems in the home, the community, and among peers that affect school success for failure which is beyond the schools control or influence. “There are some teaching strategies that are effective in helping at-risk students perform academically and avoid involvement in delinquent behavior”(Lawrence, 1998, pg. 139).

“These violent acts are problems that occur not only in the United States, but around the world.” (Associated Press, 2000, Pg. 11). In the Netherlands (which has strict gun control laws), a young boy was convicted of killing four students and a teacher. Another incident occurred in Canada, a young boy is being put on trail for the murder of two students. “More than three million crimes are committed in schools each year.” (Day, 1996, pg. 32). Murder, rape, and robbery are all forms of violent crime on the rise in our schools..

I believe that school violence is a global problem. Its time to get guns, violence, and drugs out of our school system. The rate of violence in schools have dramatically increased. Some ways to end school violence are: support broad and comprehensive anti-violence public policy, assess and address the level of violence in your personal relationships, stand up against bigoted behavior or comments, welcome helpful community programs, do not carry a gun, do not purchase violent games or toys, inform others about SAVE, be a positive role model to others, and raise awareness of the violence issue among peers.